Oregon Trail Days 5K Rugged River Run registration open

OREGON, Ill. — Registration is under way for the new Oregon Trail Days 5K Rugged River Run.

This newly re-vamped event takes place Sunday, July 21, at Lowden State Park, 1411 N. River Road, Oregon, Ill. It replaces the 8K Run-a-Muck, which the festival sponsored in the past.

This challenging event will have participants running through the forest, along the river on the Blackhawk Trail, up stairs and hills,and they will even get to run through the Lorado Taft Field Campus.

“For the past three years, we have held the 8K Run-a-Muck, which included rafting down the Rock River at the end of the event,” said event co-chairman Sue French. “Unfortunately, the river doesn’t always want to cooperate, so we have decided to try something new this year. I think participants will find the new format both refreshing and challenging.”

The new Rugged River Run will cost $35 and will include the entry fees to the run and to Oregon Trail Days Festival, as well as a T-shirt and breakfast at the Lorado Taft Field Campus. Participants can also bring friends and family to the event for $15, which includes breakfast and entry to the festival. Event-day registration is $40. The race starts at the Festival Parking Lot, with check-in at 7 a.m. and the race starting at 8 a.m. Runners will finish at the cafeteria at the Lorado Taft Field Campus. After breakfast, they can enjoy the festival and then take a shuttle back to their cars.